#pokemon lance fanfiction

[sunflowerrosewood]

Imagine.... Lance Confessing To You After You Become Champion

Author's Note: Since my other account @cheekyredwillow got deleted. I am adding some of my favorite fanfictions to this account and revamping this one with new ones. I hope to make an actual list of fandoms I am still a fan of! NO requests for the time being.

On to the imagine. Imagines are short blurbs of a character in a scenario with you.

Imagine you enter the pokemon league with the team of favorite pokemon in the Johto region. You have spent constant months on building a team you would love and here they are. All 8 badges and now the league.

Imagine the nerves you get when entering the league as this is a test of all your hard work. All this hard work is going to pay off. And then you'll see him again.

Imagine your heart leaps in excitement as you thought of the dragon tamer Lance. Lance - the one who helped you throughout your journey from Team Rocket to your gym badges. The many mini conversations you two had about other things. It felt like you two had a connection.

Imagine your team beats every gym leader with ease and you stand at the last obstacle. Lance. The Champion. Your chest is heavy with anticipation and also a bit of excitement to see him again.

Imagine as you enter the Champion room Lance turns to you and you notice a faint blush on his cheeks. He smiles brightly at you. Before you begin, he congratulates you on making this far and being impressed by you.

Imagine Lance's hands are a little shaky as seeing you again sparks the fire that the crush on you had. This anticipation to ask you out but waiting till you complete the League so you could focus.

Imagine you enter your fight with Lance. The battle takes longer than the past ones. Both of you are equally the same level and experience. You two can fight and challenge one another.

Imagine you two are at your last pokemon. A Dragonite on his side and your starter pokemon on the other. You tell your starter to hit a big move as Lance yells a hyper beam. Both moves hit and your starter is the last one standing.

Imagine Lance congratulating you and telling you that you need to put your name in the records. He shakes your hand and holds it tightly to show how proud he is.

Imagine after you register your name in the records as a new Champion that Lance is waiting for you. You are surprised and he is blushing. He stumbles on his words and confesses he has had a crush on you for a while.

Imagine he explains that he did not confess due to not wanting to get in the way of your adventure to become Champion. But now that it is over, he would like to take you on a date. To show how much he has a crush on you. You say yes and the two of your exchange numbers to set up the date.

[shiny-kaibernyte]

Ooo ooo!! What about Champion Lance?

In Lance we trust. One Lance Headcannon ramble COMING UP! Lance is surprisingly hard to write for but i think i got something plausible.

No warnings unless mentioning a punch is one?

Lance | General Headcannons

Lance will be straightforward and honest with everyone. You want the truth, ask Lance and he will spell it out to you in the most brutally honest way. 

He is sharp minded and incredibly strong-willed. This man can bounce back from anything thrown at him, and can silence anyone with a single comment if he wants. He has made challengers feel as if they are an ant compared to him, if they’re getting too cocky with him that is.

If he finds someone mistreating their Pokemon, he reacts in one of two ways. Depending on what's happening. If the trainer is new and is simply overworking their Pokemon without actually realising: Lance will berate them for this and then teach them carefully on how to actually care for they’re Pokemon.

Lance is a surprisingly good teacher.

However, if what they're doing is physical and genuinely meaningful in how they are hammering their pokemon, he will not back away from using violence. He Hyper beamed a petty thief! Lance will throw a punch in himself if need be.

A LOG when sleeping. And I don't mean he's a sound sleeper, a lot can wake him up. I mean literally a log, stiff as a board. A statue if you will. 

Clair once thought he was unconscious, he was so still, resulting in her pouring ice cold water on him, followed by Lance jumping up so far you honestly thought he could cling to the ceiling. One of the few times he let his guard down and now he's cold and needs new clothes.

Yes, Clair got it all on camera. And yes all of the Elite and gym leaders have the video saved.

Lance is an incredibly serious person, and will not tolerate any form of disrespect from anyone. Although sometimes he can be a bit too serious. Laughter is so rare from this guy that even a simple chuckle gets people staring at him.

It takes him an hour to get his hair like that. Lance’s naturally hair is spiky don’t get me wrong but to get those perfect spikes takes time darlings.

Private person. Period

Lance cares way too much about other people and they’re pokemon than he reasonably should. I repeat he has Hyper beamed a thief for stealing a random woman's pokeball.  This tends to get him in situations he can’t get himself out of. Whilst he doesn’t like asking for help, he will if he knows it's the only option left.

Before he became champion, he would constantly be going around the other Elite members and testing they’re strength making sure they are alway at their best. When he became champion he did this a lot less, instead focusing on his own pokemon and the might of the gym leaders. 

He can’t swim all that well. Lance spends so much time in the air that swimming is almost foreign to him. Although he can swim, it's not too graceful and you would mistake his wild flailing for drowning.

For this reason, he definitely has a Pokemon that knows Surf he doesn’t use on his main team. 

Man has a soft spot for food. Wanna get on his good side? Give him anything to do with Spicy food and he is all ears. The other elite members used to carry Spicy curry pots on them whenever they needed Lance to do something he would normally say no to.

Quite the artist and also has decent music talent. He once tried Pottery, he made a somewhat functional bowl on his first attempt. Charcoal is his specialty, he has a hidden sketchbook full of pokemon he has seen over his travels.

Hates travelling overseas for tournaments and HAS turned them down before. It has to be a massive oversea event for him to willingly go instead of Red or Falkner dragging him there.

Lance has a soft spot for kids. He is much more protective over them than the adults watching them. Always helping any kid without a second thought, the adult in his mind comes second. 

He throws a vicious right hook. Lance has knocked a team rocket grunt out and once put a hole in a wall. It’s no Raihan punch, that man bent a Cement wall. But he will put you on your ass. 

This man has a secret stash of hair dye in his house. If his hair starts greying he will be READY! And yes that is not his natural hair colour.

Does NOT like his shoulders touched. I think it's the cloak, but if someone touches him on the shoulder, he will death glare at them. Hands, arms, back all fine. Shoulders, no. Same thing with his legs. Falkner once tapped him on the leg when he was napping and it resulted in Falkner getting a kick to the face. He was fine but now he warns people not to touch Lance when he sleeps.

Speaking of Falkner, these two definitely roomed together for a while. Falkner is the only person Lance trusts enough to handle his pokemon. If for Any reason Lance has to part with Dragonite, Falkner is who he turns to. Even the pokemon centre can’t handle his precious pokemon. Arceus forbade him to let Clair handle them.

He loves and respects Clair so much don’t get him wrong. But when they were younger, Clair was quite the trouble maker and accidentally hurt Lance’s Dratini. He never fully trusted her again with his pokemon. No ill will between them though, They have dinner together at least once a week. 

Though in Clair's defence, Lance did provoke her first. He got that spit fire personality somewhere.

Won’t eat any kind of fish or Tail food. Sushi is his enemy. Not team rocket, not Team Galactic, not even team Magma. Nope. Sushi. 

Remember the curry thing from earlier? If that doesn’t work to persuade him somehow, just tie some sushi to a stick and follow him around, he’ll give in eventually. Don’t let his Dragonite eat it though because it will try and it is funny to watch.

[doodlejoltik]

grass knot

[~4.5k words, read it here or on Ao3. tagged with Volo and Lance since they appear as prominent characters; Rei-centric]

Why is it that even the thought of confiding in Akari, his closest friend, makes something constrict in his chest, choking out the words?

Rei, caught in the stirrings of a new arc, tries to rise to its call, but trips over the past at every turn.

A full rewrite of that Mysterious Stones chapter where Volo first shows up, from Rei’s POV, plus a bit more. Written mostly before the Arceus Arc began.

(Setting expectations: a lot of this fic is just Rei Thinking About Stuff haha. Love getting into his head! His characterisation is a little bit different/more nuanced compared to the other Rei oneshot I wrote; hopefully you'll still be along for the ride if you've read that one!)

-

“Show me thy bond.” It echoes inside Rei’s skull, down to the very bone, the same as in his earliest memories. He nearly buckles under its weight, but it's a welcome feeling.

After so long without direction, this is a relief. Arceus has finally spoken.

The words fit perfectly with the half-remembered fragments Rei had received some weeks ago in the middle of the night. Why hadn't they been intelligible then? What makes now different? The sync stones ultimate are one factor, of course. Maybe Arceus draws power from them, which is strange to say of a deity, but from what he knows of the Plates, it might not be so far-fetched.

Prince Lear disperses the murmuring crowd; so, the audience all heard it too, not just those on the arena floor. Professor Bellis congratulates Bettie. Cynthia, Lance and Steven whisper among themselves. And his mind still whirls with new theories as they gather together.

What does Arceus want? 

‘Seek out all Pokemon’ had meant completing the Pokedex. At least, that’s what he’d assumed. Now, this time, Arceus likely means for them to showcase bonds with their Pokemon, given the context. But what does that actually entail?

Cynthia’s words cut above everyone else's. “Rei. Was that voice…?”

All eyes are on him. He breathes deeply, steeling himself, as the familiar weight of it settles in. Things are moving, now. 

“Yes. I'm certain. That was —”

“Indeed! That was a message from Arceus!”

His words catch in his throat. Off-balance, suddenly, as all his thoughts fall away, replaced by a swooping feeling he can't quite identify —

He whirls around.

Volo is here.

He takes a few steps back, an involuntary half-stumble, before remembering himself. 

Those flashes of movement he's been seeing, the feeling of being watched, a Togepi, unattended: they’re all now terrifyingly validated. He'd half thought them a product of his overactive mind.

“Excuse-moi, pardon me… but who are you?” Professor Bellis ventures. 

“I'm Volo — a humble merchant who loves history and mythology!” With that, he flashes a winning smile. Rei could laugh at the sheer audacity of it all, but his thoughts are still strewn across the dusty ground, scattered, and they slip from his grasp as he tries to gather them up. Whatever sense of gravity he’d felt upon hearing Arceus’ voice has completely lifted.

“But more importantly!” Volo continues. “When the arena shone brightly, I also heard that voice.” He brings his hand up to point at the air with enthusiastic emphasis, a gesture still so terribly familiar. Rei clenches his fists, feeling the nails dig into his skin. Not really out of anger. More as a reminder.

The last time he’d seen Volo had been. Well. Memorable. But that isn’t the image that smiles back at him now, tripping him up. He's in Gingko uniform again, complete with ridiculous oversized backpack, which Rei had thought discarded, up there on the peak. Apparently not. Had Volo returned later, still seething, to collect his things? The concept is strangely hilarious.

“I wonder… these sync stones ultimate… might they be some sort of test from Arceus? If we could show him that ‘bond’ he desires —”

“Sorry, test? Arceus?” Cynthia interrupts with a frown, holding a hand out. “What makes you say that?”

“Why, it's quite simple. Arceus' presence was summoned by these stones, in this exhibition, and he requests us to further show our bond. What else could he desire?” Volo says, gesturing widely. 

Rei finally pulls himself upright — scrapes his thoughts together into something resembling coherence. The initial shock has drained away, settling into a distant sort of apprehension. He watches silently. Volo’s not really saying anything too unreasonable, but where is this leading? 

There’s so much he doesn’t know. What has Volo been doing, all this time? How long has he been on Pasio? What does he hope to gain, approaching them like this?

He’ll let Volo continue, then. It's an opportunity for some of those questions to be answered.

(And it gives Rei time to think of what to say.)

“Well, put that way, that does make sense,” Steven nods along. “Should we organise for more trainers to try the stones, then?” 

“Oui, I would love to gather more data!” Professor Bellis answers. “However, the stones are still quite volatile. There is progress on this, yes, but for now, I would like to limit their use, capisci?” 

At this, Bettie speaks up. “Yeah, it was weird.” She runs a hand through her Pikachu’s fur, the mouse curled up lazily in her arms. Nobody in Hisui was quite that affectionate with their Pokemon. Certainly not Akari, though she'd grown closer with her own Pikachu over time. As for himself, Decidueye had been standoffish, averse to being carried even as a baby Rowlet. Well, actually — as his distracted mind digs deeper into memory, he recalls — there had been Volo and his Togepi. 

He casts that errant thought away, buries it deep once again. Bettie is still speaking.

“And it was like nothing was there, at first, and Pikachu and I had to concentrate really hard. And then — whoosh! Wow! Overwhelming,” she shifts Pikachu’s weight to one arm to gesture with emphasis, “and all at once.”

“And this is when Arceus spoke,” Lance asks. 

Bettie nods, now subdued. “It was a rush! I think you guys could handle it, but I dunno if everyone could.”

“If I may,” and all attention returns to Volo. “It seems the stones can currently be used by trainers with particularly powerful convictions, and bonds with their Pokemon,” he gestures with a smile to Bettie. She blushes. 

At the casual flattery, Rei can't help the small frown that twists onto his face. It seems innocent enough, but compliments and niceties can so easily mask true intent. 

Especially with Volo.

Volo continues. “Perhaps we might solve this by way of a tournament, of sorts. Allowing Arceus to witness our talent and dedication, with the victor bestowed the honour of using the stones! Of course, the winner of such a competition would have the fortitude necessary to handle such power.”

Well, taking that to its logical end… Volo wants to win, and be granted this ‘honour’ he so conveniently proposed. But why go to all this trouble? The stones appear out in the streets quite often — apparently, found even by preschoolers. Volo should have no trouble obtaining them.

Does he know something they don't?

“Bettie here led the first winning PML team, did she not?” At this, the girl in question smiles Mareepishly. “And that is why she was the one to demonstrate the stones, I presume,” Volo inclines his head towards the Champions.

Informed guess, or something more? He thinks back on half-seen, furtive movements, and wonders. 

“That's right,” Steven confirms. “Bettie is a shining example to us: a leader of the next generation. We decided there was no better choice.” 

“So you suggest we hold another tournament,” Lance says thoughtfully. “Well, there is precedent. Prince Lear,” he turns to the Prince, whom Rei had honestly half forgotten was there. “What do you think?”

Before Lear can reply, Volo reinserts himself into the conversation. “It would be a grand tournament, truly fitting of Pasio's reputation. Why, perhaps, the deity Arceus might even be compelled to descend —”

Ah. So that’s what he intends. “Aren't you getting ahead of yourself there?” Rei interrupts. He means to sound stern, but it comes out sounding more incredulous. Not at the idea itself, but at how brazenly it’s admitted.

“Perhaps,” Volo says with a careless shrug. He doesn’t acknowledge Rei any differently than the others, still maintaining their inadvertently shared ruse. “It's only speculation, of course, but it is exciting to think about!”

“Hmph! I believe I was the one being addressed,” Prince Lear declares, arms crossed. His red shades flash dangerously, eyes hidden under their glint. Directed at him, it's almost like the full glare of an Alpha Pokemon.

Rei’s face flushes with heat to the tips of his ears. Great time he picked to enter the discussion. He quietly ducks his head down; the Prince is in charge, here, after all. He'd rather not test his patience. 

Meanwhile, Volo just smiles, seemingly unfazed. 

There's a part of him that really wants to know how Volo does that. It's just — he's so confident. How can he be so sure that everything will work out in his favour?

“A grand tournament,” Prince Lear ponders, tapping his foot. “And what could be grander than the second Pokemon Masters League?”

“Indeed!” Volo beams. “I'm sure the audience would love to see the clash between a king and a deity, would they not?”

Lear's tapping stills. His guarded stance loosens; he's taken aback. Volo emphasised king, and oh, Lear's official title is Prince. Hm.

There's something more deliberate about it beyond just casual flattery. 

Lear uncrosses his arms and seems at a loss, for a moment, on where to put them before straightening up with his hands on hips. “Is that so?” He laughs. “I like the sound of that!” A pause, unnecessarily dramatic. Nobody breaks the silence, not even Volo. 

The Prince looks around with some satisfaction and continues. “Very well, then. The winning team of the second PML will be granted the honour of using the sync stones ultimate.” He grins, sharply, red shades flashing once again. “Which will include me, of course. Hahahahaha!”

“You have a real gift for making quick decisions!” Volo says cheerfully. The tension breaks. Chuckles arise from the rest of the group, and Rei can only stare in disbelief. That — that has to be mockery, right? But everyone else seems to take it as light teasing, even the quick-tempered Prince himself. 

Against his better judgement, his gaze catches Volo’s. 

He doesn't know what he expects to see: amusement? Satisfaction? Triumph? And there's some of that, but it's a wry, knowing sort of look, like a joke shared only between the two of them. 

Already the others are starting to animatedly discuss between themselves. Bettie makes a teasing comment to Lear, who scoffs. Professor Bellis says something about checking in on the sync stone technology. Cynthia, Lance and Steven form their own little group again, speaking in low tones, and he can't quite follow their discussion. 

It seems like he's the only one who notices Volo quietly slipping away, and he's got half a mind to do the same. 

Would it be incredibly ill-advised to follow him? Probably. But he still has questions. And it’s possible that Volo will let his guard down when they're alone. 

(Even to him, that seems incredibly optimistic. But there’s things between them that he himself would rather only unearth in private. Maybe Volo feels the same way. And even if not, perhaps he'll gloat, or tease playfully, and let on something of use hidden in the thorned barbs.)

It's not like he has much left to contribute here. Tournaments and competitions and organised displays are foreign to him. The Neo Champion Stadium had felt so different from the kind of battles he’s used to… which, in part, could be why he lost. 

He needs to train. If everything rests on the result of this tournament, he has to be ready. 

The group seems to be naturally dispersing, at least — Professor Bellis just excused herself — so he won't be missed. With some quick words, he, too, turns to leave. They can handle this part, and Rei will do his. 

Prince Lear had mentioned a winning team, and Pasio battles are generally three on three, from what he's seen. Who could he ask? There's Akari, of course. And the clan leaders, but it would feel strange to team up with only one and not the other. A little bit too reminiscent of another time. 

His steps carry him nearly to the edge of the arena.

Besides, he's getting ahead of himself. He still has to… well, he should explain everything to them. About Volo.

Even all these months later, it still aches. He had buried it all, hoping to let it rot away, to be free of that thorny mass of contradictory feelings that arose every time he dwelled on it. 

But the longer he waits, the more impossible it seems to explain — to explain not only the events of that fateful day, but also his own, confusing silence on the matter. Though he’s tried to plough the field, turn it all over and start anew, it still lies just beyond the surface, and a single misstep is all it takes to snarl him all over again. Why is it that even the thought of confiding in Akari, his closest friend, makes something constrict in his chest, choking out the words?

(Akari is unquestionably the one person he's closest to. But there was a time when that singular title wasn't so clear cut.)

There’s a sort of tunnel that leads out of the stadium, a long darkened archway that passes under the audience stands. He's about halfway through when he hears footsteps from behind, swift and purposeful strides. 

His breath catches, for a moment. But Volo left first, and the arena had been flat and wide, with no corners to lurk in. Besides, it's too loud. Clearly telegraphed.

Cynthia, maybe? 

He turns. The face that greets Rei is slightly less familiar. “Lance,” he acknowledges the Champion. 

“Rei,” Lance greets in turn, stopping a few paces away. Arms crossed, silhouetted against the light of the arena and framed by the tunnel’s dark, arching walls, his tall figure is — intimidating. 

He can’t help but wonder whether that's deliberate. 

“You left before I could ask,” Lance says, and there's a pause. “As someone who has prior experience with Arceus, what do you think of all this?”

A fair enough question. But the way it's said… sounds a little too carefully worded. Casual, but purposefully so.

What sort of answer does Lance expect? 

“It sounds reasonable enough,” he decides to say. As much as he hates to lend credence to Volo’s proposal, he can't think of anything better. It somehow seems to suit their needs perfectly, which he's sure is no accident. “Back in Hisui, I was told to seek out all Pokemon, so I helped with the Pokedex. In the same way, I guess this could help fulfil Arceus' new request.”

Lance nods along, but his brows furrow. “You sounded more sceptical, earlier,” he points out. 

Ah. Not really his intent, but… “That was about the more…” he casts about for the right word, “speculative part of it. I don't know if it would really call Arceus down, or anything like that.” Though honestly, he doesn't know that it won't.

“What do you think will happen, then?” Lance asks, with clear curiosity, and, well. He doesn't really have a good answer to that. 

“... I don't know,” he admits. “I never actually completed the Pokedex, so I'm not sure what happens after Arceus’ request is fulfilled.” He had been close, but there had still been so many minor tasks that needed finishing, things to busy himself with, to arrange and get in order before he had to face Giratina again. 

He hadn't been ready, yet. Maybe Arceus had grown impatient, and brought him here to confront his problems directly. Maybe it cared. Maybe it didn't. 

(Seeing Giratina with Cynthia had felt a little like he was the punchline of some divine comedy.)

Lance purses his lips and looks off into the distance, out of the stadium, past Rei. He wishes he could read the man’s expressions better; as it is, the set of his brows calls to mind Kamado, and everything else tangled up with it. 

Finally, Lance’s gaze turns directly to Rei once again, and he speaks. “That Volo… you two know each other.” 

It’s not a question, but even then, the expression of unguarded surprise he can’t hold back might be answer enough.

Lance has one hand on his hip, the other, at rest, is framed by the drape of his cape. He looks down at Rei as he states plainly, “His clothes aren’t of modern make, so the logical assumption would be that he’s from Hisui. Cynthia confirmed my suspicion. And, historically, Hisuian communities were few and quite tightly knit. It’s more likely than not.” 

He tries to keep his expression carefully neutral, as logic digs deeper, dangerously close to things unexplainable. And the earth is already recently disturbed, soft, friable. He can’t offer much resistance. “I've seen him around,” he concedes.

“But why did neither of you acknowledge the other?” Lance looks confused; frustrated, even. “Even a passing acquaintance would be notable, with both of you being here in the future.”

And here — this is familiar. The accusations. The questions he can’t answer. But it’s different; it’s not that he doesn’t know the answers. He just can’t seem to put them in an order that would make sense, to anyone else.

(Does he really understand, himself?)

But eyes are on him, and he needs to explain, in whatever unsatisfactory way he can. “Volo and I… it's complicated,” he laughs weakly, tugging at his scarf. “He genuinely does love history and mythology, you know. I guess I wouldn't be that surprised if he was right about Arceus.” All those times they’d pored over ruins together, Volo excitedly babbling on about whatever legend this one related to — there had to have been the seed of something real, something genuine, in that. 

It’s not really an answer. Lance can obviously tell, because he crosses his arms. 

“Is he bad news?” he asks bluntly. 

There’s no twisting his way out of this one.

Some of the panic he’s feeling must bubble up onto his face, because Lance’s expression softens, just a bit. The man sighs. “Look, Rei, I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but us Champions need to have all the relevant information. This tournament, the stones,” he gestures around them, “affect everyone here on Pasio. So I’m sorry about involving myself in your business, but it's necessary. Should we be keeping an eye on Volo?” 

It’s obvious what the correct answer is. And every second he delays responding makes him seem all the more untrustworthy. He questions, a little hysterically, why this of all things is what he stubbornly roots himself for, risking this place he’s made for himself in another unfamiliar land. 

But his jaw works, and all that slips out of his throat, past the thorny tangle, is a “Maybe.” The most ground he can concede. “Volo’s… passionate about Arceus.” Which is perhaps the biggest understatement of both this century and the last. 

There's an expectant pause. He almost leaves it at that, but it seems it's too unfinished a sentiment for Lance. “He wants to be seen by it.”

“The same way you are?” Lance says sharply. Arceus, he picked up on that fast. Rei hopes he leaves it at that. A rivalry fallen apart, twisted into bitterness and jealousy, nothing more.

Nothing world-ending. 

It’s not like he doesn’t trust Cynthia, and by extension the other Champions. It’s just… he can deal with it himself. It’s what he was probably brought here to do, anyway. The thought of someone else turning him over, and finding him lacking — fighting his battles for him — makes him uneasy. 

“Yeah, something like that,” he answers, with a painful swallow. 

Besides, he hopes he can resolve this peacefully. He’d beaten Volo before, even after he’d flipped the rules of battle on their head. And this time Volo can’t upend the script; one good thing about tournaments, he supposes, is that the rules are rigorously upheld. A different sort of battleground.

He wants to laugh at that. Suppositions and wildly optimistic thoughts are his only foundation, and yet it’s enough for him to reject all possibility of outside help.

Then again, if he can’t even bring himself to tell Akari, what chance does he have of breaking that self-imposed silence, here, on less familiar ground?

Lance hums, assessing this. He uncrosses his arms. “If that friend of yours does anything drastic, tell us, alright?” he says. It’s said warmly, but there's something serious to it. An undertone. “Our job is to help out wherever we can, so don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Rei tries for a smile. “Understood.”  

Lance nods, and looks Rei up and down, though it's only a subtle flicker of his eyes. His gaze lingers on the scarf at Rei’s neck, which Rei realises he’s been fidgeting with unconsciously. He lets go with faint embarrassment, feeling caught out. 

The other man sighs. “You can go, you know?” There’s resignation in his voice. Maybe even something apologetic. In that moment, he seems more like Kamado than ever.

Rei doesn’t want to turn his back to him, but he wants to be here even less. So he nods, stiffly, and turns himself around, continuing the dark walk through the tunnel and out the stadium at a steady pace.

He doesn’t run.  

(But his hand hovers by his satchel, where Decidueye's Pokeball rests.)

It’s only when he’s walked for a good while, out into the harsh sunlight, through the town outskirts and to a more forested spot, that the tension drains from him. He sits at the base of a large tree, feeling a little lightheaded.

That was… an interrogation, to put it bluntly. And he can’t really fault Lance for it. To anyone, he's sure, his actions are confusing at best.

Unfortunately, he’s found that he’s less than clear headed when it comes to Volo. He turns over Lance’s final words. That friend of yours. It’s not surprising Lance phrased it that way; everything Rei had said had been carefully woven to lead him to that conclusion.

Except it hadn’t been misdirection, not fully. He does still think of Volo as his friend, despite everything.

He slumps backwards, against the trunk of the tree, feeling the rough bark dig against the base of his skull. 

What is he supposed to do with that?

Apparently, one of the worst days of his life isn’t enough to uproot over a year of growing camaraderie and budding friendship. Too many memories knot together, a stubborn tangle impossible to pick apart. He’s tried not to think about them too hard, but they tighten their hold once again, from where they lay dormant and buried.

Many of them have been forcibly recontextualised. He’s second guessed every helpful gift, every directly admiring word, every coincidental and fortunate appearance, as something deliberate and cultivated. But some of it, it seems, doesn't fit so neatly with that singular goal.

One day, they’d watched Togepi use Metronome for an hour, ostensibly for Rei’s surveying purposes. Important documentation of a seemingly random phenomenon, and all that. In actuality, they laughed the entire time, with no useful or coherent records to speak of, as the results became all the more improbable. 

They’d camped together, those last months, as the search for the Plates got wilder and more exciting. He knows Volo’s favoured way to build a camp-fire, and how he wakes up unreasonably early in the morning, and that he prefers sweet foods over savoury, unlike Rei himself. A hundred mundane familiarities shared, taking root in fallow ground.

Once, Volo had been his only friend in the entire world.

Is it surprising, then, that he can’t lay this friendship to rest so easily?

He wonders what it means, that the hand offered to him at his lowest point was the same one that always meant to drag him back down. And what it means that he still wants to reach for it.

Had any real feelings been sowed there, on Volo’s part? Or was the entire thing a carefully constructed weaving, an intricate field of grass knots laid around Rei, ready to catch him in their snare? 

He can’t quite strangle the hope that something of their friendship still exists, even if neglected and overgrown. And that’s the part that scares him.

He has Akari, and Adaman, and Irida. He has Professor Laventon and the Captain, though they’re far away. Then there’s the Wardens, more friendly faces: Mai, Sabi, Ingo, and all the others; there's Zisu and Pesselle and Beauregard and everyone else in Jubilife. New friends here on Pasio, too. 

He pulls out Decidueye’s Pokeball from his satchel, and rolls it around in his right hand. He has his beloved Starter.

He has friends. He has bonds.

Why can’t that be enough?

The Pokeball he’s holding isn't the original. He'd had to break that well-loved possession in two, and recapture Decidueye in this modern device. It's a distant echo of its predecessor, wooden grooves and clunky iron replaced by smooth metal and near imperceptible seams. The weight of it is all wrong. 

But despite that, it's still his partner, and that's what matters.

(The two broken halves sit in his satchel, too, carried on his person at all times. It's yet another thing he can't bring himself to let go of.)

He sighs, tracing formless shapes in the dirt. His hand finds one of the sparse clumps of grass that grow here, directly under this wide and mighty tree. Deprived of proper sun, it’s a miracle that there’s any at all. 

It seems more and more likely that he’ll end up looking for Volo on his own. To get answers: not only about the stones, and the tournament, and Volo’s intentions with Arceus, but also for his own ends. 

Maybe there’s still something there. A single glimpse of life in this scorched earth between them.

He doesn’t know what he’ll do then.

Where he sits, what little grass there is has grown long and ragged, as their leaves stretch and reach for the sun. He sets Decidueye’s ball down and plucks two long blades. With a few simple loops and twists, they’re deftly woven together into a knot. He considers it, looping it around his fingers; tightens it, pulling on both ends, until he can feel the entire construct threaten to snap from the force. He stops. 

The thing is, no matter if it was never meant to be real, deliberately sowed, intended ultimately for harvest — it’s all the same, to Rei. He wants to keep it alive. He’s hopeful. Naive. Selfish.

For a single, impossible moment, he wonders whether this is what Arceus meant by bonds all along. 

The knot goes in his satchel, where it will turn dry and brittle with time. But kept safe, unbroken, regardless. Maybe his future self will laugh at his sentimentality. Maybe, he won't remember why it’s there. 

Wouldn't that be for the best?

He tucks Decidueye’s ball away, with care, then hauls himself up, both hands braced against the dusty ground. There’s dirt under his fingernails. From under the tree’s darkened canopy, he squints into the afternoon sunlight.

There’s a lot that needs to be done. He needs to train for this tournament, for one. Learn more about modern battling. Pull together a team. With that, ask Akari, and perhaps Adaman or Irida. Confront Volo, somewhere in all of this. 

After that? Only Arceus knows.

One step at a time. 

He finds his footing, around gnarled roots. The grass crunches underfoot. And he steps into the light.

(So maybe I was just snared by the grass knots you laid in my path. But if I wove my own, would you fall for it too?)

[justlemoney]

Ash has created a group chat.

Ash named the group chat '(Un)Folded Chaos'.

Ash added 24 contacts.

Ash has renamed 25 chat members.

ChosenChild has locked the names.

ChosenChild: Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Several members have gone online.

CoolDad: Ash? What's the meaning of this? And why are you even awake? It's 3 in the morning

ChosenChild: I am bored! And why aren't you asleep professor?

CoolDad: Nevermind

FormalCaveGuy: Good morning, and may I ask why my name is 'FormalCaveGuy'?

FabulousHairGuy: Steven please, you wear a suit while mining. And thanks Ash for the name ;D

ChosenChild: np!

Pureness: Ash? Most of these pople I don't know! Who are they?

MegaEvolveProf: How about we all introduce eachother? 

WhiteQueen: Great idea! Who Starts?

Pureness: Guess I will! My name is Lillie :D

WalkingCookBook: I am Mallow!

ScarySea: I am Lana

FlameFarmBoi: I am Kiawe. Also Ash what is this name?

ChosenChild: Hey! It suits you :p

ElectricNerdKiddo: I am Sophocles

Simba 2.0: I am Hau

Edgeyboy: Gladion. And Ash really now?

ChosenChild: Yes

CoolDad: Professor Kukui

DiveMom: Professor Burnet

Maniac: Gary Oak

MewLunatic: I am Goh

ElectricGymLeader: I am Clemont

GreenBoi: I am Sawyer 

WeatherDragon: The name is Raihan :D

(Un)Defeated Champ: Hiii I'm Leon! :D

WhiteQueen: I am Diantha and @BlackQueen is Cynthia, but she is busy right now

MegaEvolveProf: Augustine Sycamore

Redhead 1: Lysandre de-lys.

DragonGuy: Lance de-lys

ChosenChild: Wait- WHAT?!

ChosenChild has changed DragonGuy's name to Redhead 2

ChosenChild: Better.

Redhead 2: Really now Ash?

ChosenChild: YES

FabulousHairGuy: Hey hey I'm Wallace

Chespin#1: Hiiiiii! I am Mairin!

KalosEmo: Mairin what are you doing here? You know what, nevermind. Ash could you change my name? Not comfortable.

ChosenChild: Of course! Gimme a sec

ChosenChild has changed KalosEmo's name to 'MegaDragon'

MegaDragon: Thank you Ash. Anyway, I am Alain.

FormalCaveGuy: Alain, you alright? I am Steven Stone by the way

MegaDragon: Yeah I am

FormalCaveGuy: Good

Several people went offline.

.

.

.

.

.

Some hours later

.

.

.

WeatherDragon has logged on.

WeatherDragon: JOOOO you gotta see this! Leon just ran against a wall xD *has attached an image*

Redhead 2 and 6 Other people have logged on.

Redhead 2 and 6 Other people have saved the image.

.

.

.

.

.

Straight from my AO3 Acc

[souenkun]

silver linings | dad lance & silver son

If asked, Lance wouldn't be sure if he could tell exactly who was the one answering Silver's question. But, regardless of who was standing in the present, he knew that they both cherished the same, pure-hearted child no matter how different he may look in their respective memories, so the next words that broke the silence were nothing but the simple truth, parental love willed into existence as easy as breathing. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Silver."

Or: after pushing himself too far while training for the Arceus Cup, Lance found himself learning an important lesson taught by the past, present, and future versions of his son, Silver.

This work is a part of Champion Lance Week 2024 for Day 2, with the prompt "Family" (@lanceappreciationblog).

[tequila-starlight]

Little Siblings

All Tags Below Cut!

Fandom: Pokémon

Character(s): Alain, Hop, Leon, Mairin (Mentioned)

Ship(s): -

Platonic Ship(s): Alain & Hop, Alain & Mairin, Leon & Hop

Content Warning(s): -

Rating: General Audiences

TSME Week Day 3: Family

After getting asked by Hop if he has any siblings, Alain thinks about his relationship with Mairin.

“I’m Lee’s little brother, after all!” It was obvious Hop was trying to stamp down his ego after the compliment. The sight was quite amusing. “You’ve any little siblings yourself, Mr Alain?”

Alain stopped himself when the image of a certain girl flashed into his mind.

READ HERE ON AO3

Tags

•Fluff

•Family

•Platonic Relationships

•Not Beta Read

•Mairin does not appear physically but is spoken about throughout the story

[literallylyn27-02-97]

WOOOOO I GOT FOOD PEOPLE!!

[railgunfics]

Nemophila

Fandom: Pokemon Rating: Everyone Genres: Romance Characters: Jasmine, Lance Pairings: Lance/Jasmine (FairytaleShipping). Summary: Blue petals rained down on the cape. Links: Archive of Our Own | Bulbagarden

A/N: It has been a while since I posted any FairytaleShipping content aside from my main fanfic. I'm still working on the next chapter so please be patient. In the meantime, please enjoy this short story! I am quite proud of this one.

[sinnohelitefourlore]

Brock Harrison would not be called "Brock The Rock" just because of his type-specialty, and no, it wasn't because Brock was dumb as rocks. It was because he garnered a reputation in the Indigo League for being absolutely solid, as in completely calm. In later years, Lance Arrax would remark that he hadn't seen Brock panic once. Even those like Lt. Surge and Koga had their off days, which would usually end in them having a couple of strong drinks after work. If Sabrina was in a particularly bad mood, such as a dark-type specialist winning against her in a battle, that's when Sabrina would chase them out and mentally beat down a gym trainer as an 'example' for the younger psychics in the institute. In other words, every gym leader had a hatch. For those in the leagues that would insist otherwise, others would disagree saying they were lying to themselves.

~Sneak Peak of The League Chronicles, Chapter 30- Brock

Link: Ao3

[tequila-solar-storm]

CHAMPION NIGHT MASTERLIST

PLEASE READ ALL TAGS BEFORE STARTING!

BOLDED FIC(S) CONTAIN NS/FW AND/OR CONTENT WARNINGS

Chapter 1: Champion Offer (Leon/Steven/Alain/Lance)

Chapter 2: Champion Time (Leon/Steven/Alain/Lance)

READ HERE ON AO3

[penguiduck]

Chapters: 21/22 Fandom: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions, Pocket Monsters: Red & Green & Blue & Yellow | Pokemon Red Green Blue Yellow Versions Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wataru | Lance/Reader, Wataru | Lance/Original Character(s) Characters: Wataru | Lance, Kenji | Tracey Sketchit, Ookido Yukinari-hakase | Professor Samuel Oak, Reader, Original Pokemon Trainer(s), Sakaki | Giovanni, Rocket-dan | Team Rocket, Kimono Girls, You Additional Tags: Reader-Insert, Chaptered, Fluff, Realistic, Romance, Banter, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Confusion, Love Triangles Summary:

Dragon Master Lance of the Elite Four. It's quite a title. Does he live up to it?

At first, you're not too impressed with his arrogance, despite his resume. But, as with many things, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow.

And, who knows? Maybe one day, you'll fall in love.

[Reader x Lance]

[pokemonemissaryau]

The Johto League is so proud of its new champion. He’s a member of the Blackthorn Dragon Clan, and he values tradition. 

The rest of the world values that he photographs well. 

You may be any age to challenge the Champion. You may win, and be crowned, but you cannot take on any Champion duties until you turn 18.

Lance prefers the journey over the fame, so many people don’t see him. Many outside the region don’t even know what he looks like beyond a few blurry candids. 

He’s very quiet, Champion Lance. When Steven Stone, heir to the Stone fortune, becomes Champion Steven of Hoenn, he notices how Lance doesn’t shy from the paparazzi, but doesn’t speak unless told. 

He’s very tall, Champion Lance. When Champion Cynthia takes her place in Sinnoh, she notices how Lance has to take smaller steps to make sure she does not fall behind. 

Steven and Cynthia have been inseparable. Whenever there is an important event, it’s Cynthia on Steven’s arm. They are best friends or something else - no one knows and they aren’t answering. It’s like a game to them. 

Kanto’s Champion dies. It’s of old age, and was peaceful, but there is no Champion. 

Johto steps in like a good neighbor and offers their Champion as a stand-in. 

No one ever sees the paperwork. 

Suddenly, Lance is coming to events, advertised as the Kanto-Johto Champion. On one side of him, Champion Steven, talking the ear off of reporters. On the other, Champion Cynthia, absorbing the praise and photos. 

Steven and Cynthia remember what it was like when they turned 18 and suddenly had to take on everything a Champion does. 

They can’t imagine what it must be like having all that responsibility thrust on you before you even reach that age. 

Lance is doing a fine job of it anyway. 

[calamity-queen]

Lance Doesn't Know

Put up another Giovanni/Reader on AO3, gods I really have brainrot for him right now hdhfash anyway enjoy!!!

Title: Lance Doesn't Know

Rating: Mature

Category: M/F, Multi

Fandom: Pokemon

Relationships: Giovanni/Fem!Reader, Lance/Fem!Reader, Lance &Clair

Characters: Giovanni, Reader-insert, Lance, Clair (mentioned)

Additional tags: Cheating, Dom/Sub Play, Spanking, Hair Pulling, Phone Calls &Telephones, Exhibitionism (kinda), Possessive behavior, Teasing, Daddy kink, light angst, fluff, a lot fluffier than originally intended, bad guy soft for his good girl, song: Scotty Doesn't Know (Lustra), Not beta read

[colorful-bees]

This is somehow the only thing I've been able to write in the past month (but dw, my other fics are still in the works, I have not abandoned any of them o7). I guess this one was just less pressure, something a little more light that I could crank out easily.

For context, this is a fic for @mellology and I's Boarding School AU (sorry for tagging you bestie, you probably don't want to be reminded of this /j) and it's a Lance/Palmer fic. I'm not expecting people to like. Actually read this since that's a rarepair shipped by two people on planet earth and one of those people is me but I thought I'd share on the off chance that someone maybe did want to read it? There is more context in the notes of this fic as well.

[souenkun]

"falling and floating" | huntershipping & dad!lance

"But you're here with me and Lugia right now, Silver, so I can't help but wonder: why did you follow us here in the first place?"

The question, simple as it may be, stunned Silver as if he was struck by lightning, paralyzing him from making much movement. Jaws slacked, he cycled through shock, shame, and denial in a single moment only to give up in the end with a huff. His lilac eyes gazed at him for a split second before drifting away, but that single look was enough for Ethan to glean the hidden message beneath, one that Silver wouldn't be caught dead saying out in the open: because I trust you.

Or: Ethan, like any sane trainer out there, took Silver to skydive as a means to alleviate his friend's stress. There were no accidents when they were aided by Ethan's trusty Lugia, but the same couldn't be said for their feelings and relationships.

A trilogy to "today, i love you" and "worthy of all the love in the world".

[kittytale-i-do-what-i-want]

team rock blows up the bell tower and lance has to deal with the aftermath

Oh oh you thought I was done with just the one post? HA no my brain just went off, anyway here you go. 

@lanceappreciationblog